For the first time since his fall in the Tour de France, Wout Van Aert will compete in the Azencross in Lowenhout on Friday. The Belgian rider had announced his intention to compete in the event earlier this month and was cleared by his surgeon on Monday.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into the hustle and bustle of cyclocross," Van Aert said, according to Belga News Agency (opens in new tab)." I've felt for a while that things were going in the right direction in training, and it's nice to be a competitive rider again."

Van Aert crashed in the finale of the stage 13 time trial in Pau at the 2019 Tour and caught a roadside barrier, cutting his upper right leg deeply. He underwent surgery in Pau to repair skin, capsular, and muscle tears in his upper thigh and buttock, followed by a second surgery at a hospital in Herental He was off the bike for two months before beginning full-scale rehabilitation in September.

The 25-year-old consulted with his surgeon, Dr. Toon Klaes, on Monday and was cleared to compete in the Lone Hout competition. VanArt did not race this week in Zolder and Baar, citing his proximity to Jumbo Visma's training camp and his own attachment to Azencross.

"Lone Hout is one of the best races to resume," he said. 'It's close to home. I've been watching cyclocross since I was a kid and the atmosphere at the end of the year is always good. Plus, I've won here twice as a pro."

Van Aert has competed in Azencross five times in the past, all on the podium. In fact, the three-time world champion underestimated his prospects for big results this winter, but having cut short his cyclocross campaign, he hopes to regain his fitness in time for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the cobbled classics that follow.

"I don't expect much. Cyclocross training has not been on the program this winter; there are two training sessions scheduled in the woods the week before Loenhout, but that's it."

"Cyclocross is still the best thing I've ever done, but this winter I just want to have fun. I want to get good at cross. In terms of results, it will probably be a lost year.

"If I can give it everything I've got for an hour on Friday, I'll be a happy rider. I'm not going to do anything extra for myself."